The young man sitting in meditation remained motionless, accepting all the surging spiritual energy without resistance. Even though the spiritual energy came in wave after wave, each denser than the last, his body was like a bottomless pit, effortlessly absorbing it all.

Chapter Six: Advancement

The middle-aged man stared blankly for quite a while before his mouth twitched. “It’s just an advancement to Level Two Wandering Immortal, is all this really necessary?”

He had also advanced from Level One Wandering Immortal, and seeing this overwhelming influx of immortal spiritual energy—so thick it was almost tangible—he was truly astonished. With so much spiritual energy, it would be enough to go from Level Three to Level Four Wandering Immortal.

The jump from Level Three to Level Four Wandering Immortal was a threshold, marking the transition from the beginner to the intermediate stage.

Curious, the middle-aged man didn’t hurry to leave. He stood to the side, watching, wanting to see whether the young man, after absorbing so much spiritual energy, would advance to Level Two Wandering Immortal or achieve the legendary leap across levels.

Andrew Brooks did not break through to Level Three. The spiritual energy he absorbed was refined within his body, and much of the impure energy was expelled again. After about two hours of this cycle, he finally stabilized at Level Two.

The middle-aged man saw all of this. Even though some spiritual energy was expelled, the amount he absorbed was still enormous, yet he only advanced by one level.

When he saw the other finish his cultivation, exhale lightly, and slowly open his eyes, he couldn’t help but ask, “What kind of inheritance do you have?”

Andrew Brooks looked him up and down before replying vaguely, “I cultivate the Qi Path.”

He had already advanced to Level Two, but the other man still gave him a sense of oppression. He guessed that this middle-aged man’s level was definitely not low. Even if he didn’t want to answer, he couldn’t afford to offend him lightly.

“The Qi Path techniques are indeed formidable,” the middle-aged man nodded, his voice tinged with a bit of emotion. “It’s a pity that nowadays, complete Qi Path inheritances are so rare.”

“My inheritance isn’t complete either,” Andrew Brooks immediately replied, indicating that there was nothing worth coveting here. He even asked with a stern face, “Weren’t you about to leave just now?”

The technique he practiced, except during major breakthroughs, was generally not affected by external factors, nor was he afraid of being interrupted by others. He had clearly seen the middle-aged man’s reaction.

“Attempting a breakthrough in the wilderness—young friend, you’re quite bold,” the middle-aged man shook his head. He knew his actions were a bit out of line, but since he’d already done it, he had his reasons.

So he smiled slightly. “Meeting is fate. I ate your roasted rabbit, so helping you stand guard was no trouble at all. I just didn’t expect you to be a Qi Path cultivator… I was being unnecessary.”

With that, he cupped his hands, turned, and disappeared into the darkness.

“This guy… I didn’t even chase you away,” Andrew Brooks muttered softly. He had chosen this place because it was a well-explored and generally recognized as a relatively safe area, without any particularly ferocious wild beasts.

“I need to go set traps, can’t delay any longer,” a light laugh came from the darkness, the voice fading into the distance. “Those who only know how to act recklessly are not good hunters.”

So mysterious! Andrew Brooks snorted inwardly in disdain, then closed his eyes and continued meditating. Only after coming to the Immortal Realm did he truly understand what it meant to be surrounded by spiritual energy. He was loath to waste even a single moment.

The night passed uneventfully. At dawn the next day, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, he woke up, grabbed a large pot, and headed straight for the crimson valley where the Thunder Deer were found.

The soil of the crimson valley was red, said to contain a large amount of iron. However, since people in the Immortal Realm rarely used ordinary iron for crafting, few paid attention to this place. Instead, because lightning was frequent here, it attracted many Thunder Deer to breed and thrive.

Andrew Brooks searched for a high vantage point, using both his invisibility and breath-concealing techniques, silently observing the valley.

The valley was vast—he couldn’t see its boundaries even with his eyesight. All over the valley were waist-high grasses and shrubs, making it impossible to see what might be hiding within.

He looked around for a long time but couldn’t spot any Thunder Deer. Still, he had other things to do—he took out some paint from his storage ring and camouflaged the big iron pot.

Next came the long period of waiting in ambush. Andrew Brooks looked carefully and finally chose the riverside: no matter what level of wild beast, they all needed to eat, drink, and relieve themselves. There was only one river in the valley—how could they not come to drink?

The terrain by the river varied. Some places had dense grass, perfect for hiding. Andrew Brooks looked around and picked a spot, then put the big pot on his head and carefully made his way over.

It took him nearly two hours to reach the patch of grass. Unexpectedly, a soft rustling sound came, and a huge creature—one and a half meters tall at the shoulder and two and a half meters long—ambled out, its eyes as big as bronze bells fixed intently on him.

Iron-armored Tiger! Andrew Brooks recognized the beast, and information about it flashed through his mind—a formidable Level Five wild beast, average in attack but with extremely strong defense. It could turn its fur into armor, and even a typical Level Six Wandering Immortal might not be able to kill it.

No way to break through its defenses, he thought bitterly, but kept a calm face. After a brief standoff between man and tiger, he slowly began to retreat.